


On the Mend

by FrostStar, SnowyCarnations (CrimsonCarnations)



Series: roleplays with FrostStar [4]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Broken Promises, Implied Sexual Content, Implied Torture, M/M, One-Sided Relationship, Torture, Waterboarding, broken hearted, emotional torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-13 22:05:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11194368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostStar/pseuds/FrostStar, https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonCarnations/pseuds/SnowyCarnations
Summary: "You still make me smile, even if you're the reason I am sad"





	1. Chapter 1

Arthur was getting bored. The Spaniard was nearly broken, he could tell. It was still fun, watching the other writhe or listening to him scream. But he was running out of new ways to do it and it was starting to lose the thrill. He had been thinking all morning but still hadn’t an idea, he didn’t want to let him go, not until it truly was boring, but he still needed something to keep him interested. He decided to stop getting so worked up about it as he was about to head in for another session with Antonio. Hmm he hasn’t really tried waterboarding with him yet. He wondered if he had a fear of drowning. Funny for a pirate really, but if he didn’t, he definitely would. “Hey Toni, time to wake up.” He called out in his usual manner before lightly setting the board and bucket with ice water and the rag next to it.

Antonio wasn’t sure how much more he could take. There’s a saying he remembered a lot through this. They say you can’t remember pain. It must have meant something because if he could remember pain, he probably would have stopped being a pirate a long time ago. Well, if it was that easy. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t just back out. That and his pride. He knew that if he did back away he’d be giving everything to Arthur. He’d be doing exactly what Arthur wanted, he assumed. But god this just seemed to get worse and worse. He looked up when he heard footsteps. God those footsteps. He was coming down again. Antonio looked up from his thoughts when Arthur spoke. He watched him set his things down and his heart paused in his chest. He knew what those things could mean. They could of course mean a few things. But Arthur had never once considered letting Antonio bathe. So there really were only bad ways to go with that. He forced a weak, broken glare and looked up at Arthur. “I-It’s pretty i-impossible f-for me t-to sl-sleep” he whispered.

Arthur’s grin widened, not bothering to hide its cruel edges as he listened to the other before nodded “That’s too bad. Tell me Toni, how well can you swim? Have you ever had problems nearly drowning?” He stepped back a bit and set the little board close by the other. This was good, he sounded weak enough where he wouldn’t be able to resist as much and that meant he could keep the cuff off while he did this, seeing the struggling that was almost guaranteed to happen was always fun and cuffs would hinder that. But that would also make for a fun show since the cuffs would hinder movement and probably add to the suffocating/drowning feel. He gestured one of the men in the room to come stand next to him and ordered the other to grab more water, preferably seawater as any cuts the spaniard has would end up stinging. He turned back to Antonio “Well?”

Antonio tensed up. He was correct in his assumption. Arthur just confirmed that. He had nearly drowned before and it was one of the worst things he had experienced while being a pirate. It was worse than anything Arthur had done. He felt as if no matter what Arthur would never let him die but feeling his lungs fill with water and the very breath he held dear taken away from him, Antonio couldn’t stand it. He wondered if playing dumb would get him out of this faster. God this was going to be awful. But he couldn’t just break down. Could he? No. He was a strong, feared captain. He lived on a boat, he had to be able to experience this. “I won’t g-give you the s-satisfaction of kn-knowing” he hissed. Hopefully that was enough to show he wasn’t ready to give up yet. Though it wasn’t very easy to hide how scared he was. He watched Arthur setup and started to tremble. God, this was really going to happen. He glared weakly at Arthur, fear buried in his nearly broken eyes.

Arthur nearly laughed at that response. He shook his head “That almost always translates into ayes. If you didn’t want me to know you should have just lied and said no. But even if you have this will still be fun. For me.” He did laugh that time before moving closer to Antonio with the key. “And be a good boy and don’t struggle too much, I doubt you’d be better off chained while experiencing this.” He squatted down and started to unchain him.

Antonio growled and went to back away, though forced himself to relax and allow Arthur to unchain him. He looked up at him and rolled his eyes. If he were strong he may have attempted something, but honestly he doubted he would get anywhere with hitting him with this much damage done to his body. He figured, well more like hoped, that if he was good and cooperated this wouldn’t be as awful. He honestly hoped if he was good Arthur would grow a fucking heart and would not do it. But he had given up on that years ago. “I kn-know how I am better off by now” he hissed.

Arthur scoffed “Yes and you’ve definitely proven that often.” His tone dripped with sarcasm and amusement as he leaned back and stood before grabbing the Spaniard to pull him to his feet and lead him to the stool. “Sit on the board.” He didn’t want to get forceful now as that would make it harder for him to do the waterboarding on his own but he did have two men here who could help and a third coming back with more water and buckets. He squatted down and fiddled with the straps before he looked up to wait for Antonio to do as he said. The straps weren’t reliable at all, quite old and worn down, so he would keep one of his men on the side in case the Spaniard struggled too much.

Antonio rolled his eyes. He hated to admit that he had to hold on to Arthur to walk, but he did. He could barely even feel his legs, let alone walk on them. He stumbled as he walked closer to the board, practically falling on it when he was told to sit. He used his arms to keep himself up, looking up at Arthur. Antonio shivered and released a heavy breath before squeezing his eyes shut and laying down. He knew exactly what Arthur was going to do, and he was going to be a ‘good boy’ as Arthur had put it. So he may as well lay down now. Hopefully this would just be over with soon. It always seemed so terrifying when he watched it happen. He wasn’t sure his body would be able to take it. But hopefully if he passed out Arthur would stop.

One of Arthur’s brows rose a bit when Antonio laid down without being prompted to. He tilted his head before his telltale smirk appeared, the other knew exactly what was going to happen. Which wasn’t a surprise really considering he was Spain. He waited a moment before moving around and setting up the straps, making sure they were snug before grabbing the rag and throwing it on the brunettes face. “Have you ever endured this before or just watched?” He was genuinely curious. He waited for an answer as he hefted the first bucket up and nodded as his men put down a few more.

Antonio looked up at him and watched him prepare. He shifted and sighed a bit, looking over at the buckets. Well he wasn’t sure how many he’d have to sit through, but since when they did it in his country it was usually a minimum of three, he assumed that much. He straightened his face out so the rag would be over it properly. “Just watched” he whispered. But god has he nearly drowned. He shifted as much as he could before squeezing his eyes shut in hopes that it would be over with soon.

Arthur hummed lightly, amused. He hefted the bucket a bit higher before stepping closer and started a steady stream of the water. He kept it fast but not too fast that most of the water wouldn’t make it onto the other’s face but fast enough that it wouldn’t allow a reprieve before the water was done. He almost started to hum a tune as the water ran out. He snapped his fingers for the next bucket and allowed the Spaniard a moment to catch his breath before starting the next. Just one second was all he allowed. He didn’t want to let the other calm down too much.

Antonio tried to keep himself calm, tried not to appear as if he was struggling, but god not only did it feel terrible but it hurt around the cuts in his body as well. His body tensed as it attempted to breath without much success. The only things he succeeded in were creating indents and possibly bruises on his wrists and ankles from the restraints, and sending himself into a minor panic attack from the lack of breath, which only made it worse. The second wasn’t enough to even slightly calm him and when the next bucket started he was already starting to feel light headed and weaker from it.

Arthur gestured with his head for his men to stand closer when he saw the other starting to struggle. He didn’t want the straps breaking before he was finished. He allowed a slightly bigger reprieve when this bucket emptied, mostly because his men didn’t have the bucket held out to him right away as before. He went through the third bucket before he crouched down next to the Spaniards head, tossing the bucket to clatter on the other side. After a moment he motioned one of his men to start pouring the fourth and final bucket as he started to speak. “Now Antonio, I want you to think before you speak. If you answer this correctly I will put the rest of the water away. Do you understand?” The last bucket was emptied and his men neatly lined the buckets plus a few more, all empty, against the wall so Antonio saw them but couldn’t see in them. He quietly undid the straps but left them on the brunette and didn’t bother taking off the rag.

Antonio felt terrible for having done this before, having caused this suffering to other people. This was fucking awful. He didn’t even feel the relief of the longer break, as his mouth and nose were still filled with water and he couldn’t seem to get rid of enough of it to breath. He could barely hear Arthur speaking, but he understood enough of it to know his next words affected everything right now. When he felt the straps loosen he nodded quickly, weakly, already starting the coughing. He didn’t try to sit up, he didn’t try to move away, and he certainly didn’t try to move his limbs away from the restraints. He was going to say whatever Arthur wanted him to at this point, so hopefully it was pretty obvious what he was supposed to say. But to be safe he also didn’t want to move and seem as if he was being uncooperative.

Arthur’s smirk widened into a large dark grin. He took the unresponsiveness as cooperation and was clearly listening. He placed one elbow on the board and leaned a bit of his weight on it as he moved a bit closer so the brunette could hear him as he lowered his voice. “Tell me Antonio, who do you belong to?”

Antonio blinked a few times, mostly trying to process what had been asked since everything about him felt dizzy and blurry right now. Arthur asked who he belonged to? He’d asked that before hadn't he? He thought he recalled something like that near the beginning of all of this. Long before he had even been slightly broken. Yes, he did in fact remember that. He had said ‘no one’. Those were his words of response. Those words were accompanied by a glare and he believed even a bit of spit. Now he knew better. Now he knew exactly what Arthur wanted to hear and if it stopped all of this, he was willing to give in to say it. He turned his head enough to attempt to look at the Brit. He let out a few violent coughs before he breathed out. His voice came out in one raspy, broken, barely audible word. Antonio’s voice came out in the form of the word “you”

Arthur felt the satisfaction hearing that answer rise as he looked down at the Spaniard, finally broken by him. “Hmm good. We’re done for the day.” He stood up straight and turned away. He waved his hand to gesture for his men to clean everything up and chain the Spaniard up for the night. He paused for a moment as he made his way out and grabbed someone else and ordered them to bring a bit more food for Antonio, after all he deserved something for giving in. He went through another round around the ship then went to bed, thinking all the while. He basically did all there was to do with the Spaniard. He had broken him, what else was there to do besides taking his physical life? There was always that option, but he would think more on it the next day.

Antonio finally moved his hands and feet. He sat up and coughed a few more times, water flowing out of his nose and mouth and down his face. His hair clung to his face from the water that made it’s way onto it. He stumbled, knees trembling as he got off and slid back down to the floor next to the chains. He watched his wrists while they were chained again before letting his head roll back. He only had one attempt left at his life, if Arthur was willing, but he wouldn’t even consider that until the morning when he had at least partially recovered from the sensation of drowning. He didn’t close his eyes. He couldn’t keep them closed, even blinking made him see the Brit, made him see water, made him see his own demise. So even after eating, which hurt his throat as it was scratchy and raw, he just looked straight on, eventually finding a steady breath again.

Arthur got up the next morning and started his daily routine of checking the course and making sure his men were on task and eating his own breakfast before making his way down to his little prisoner. He stopped outside the cell and casually leaned against it. “I don’t have much care for you being alive any longer, there’s nothing else you can offer that’s interesting enough for me to keep you alive.” He stated it almost casually, but matter of fact as he looked down at Antonio. He was bored, there wasn’t anything else he could take or destroy.

Antonio looked up weakly when he heard Arthur’s voice. He coughed a few more times before wincing and sitting up. His body was more than tired and his voice hurt worse now than it had before. He took a moment to process what exactly Arthur had said. What did that mean? If his little bet was unsatisfactory then was Arthur going to kill him? He tensed up and winced again before shifting. “I-I d-did have o-one thing” he whispered. “If I may m-make a suggestion” he added, wanting to make sure he wasn’t impolite since he had given in now. “H-How about a l-little wager?” hopefully one he could win, one that might just save his life now that he knew Arthur was bored of him. He just had to gather the strength to hold his sword and hopefully fight against Arthur with it.

Arthur’s brows rose a bit in interest at the word wager. He stopped leaning against the door and lightly gripped one of the bars as he leaned forward a bit “A wager? That sounds interesting. What are the stakes?” He tilted his head a bit curiously, wondering what the Spaniard could even offer him. Probably nothing, but he obviously had something in mind so why not hear him out. He was most likely just trying to buy time but he might as well amuse him for a moment just to quell his own curiosity.

Antonio felt a slight relief in hearing that Arthur would at least listen. “One last fight.” he whispered. “I-If you win, that’s it. You can have me for whatever you want, anything you could possibly imagine. I’ll do it. Or you can kill me if you’d prefer and I’ll accept my fate. I’m already yours physically. But ..if you win you’ll have it all, emotionally, physically, spiritually. My entire being will belong to you” God he would hate that. He didn’t want to die. Then again, he really didn’t want to suffer either. “I-if I win, you let me go” He thought that sounded pretty fair. He was pretty much gambling away the last of his freedom. He already belonged to Arthur, that had been made very clear the night before, but even then he would still refuse certain things. If Arthur won this bet then he would practically be a living trophy. He’d do whatever he was told without question, no matter what it was, how embarrassing it was. If he lost that was his fate.

Arthur narrowed his eyes lightly as he listened. Once it got to what he would win he quickly went through a mental checklist of what he had already done. Physically? Check, one can clearly see the battered body. Spiritually? Check, that was stolen last night when he verbally gave in. Emotionally? Has he taken anything emotionally? Did crushing his spirits count for emotionally as well? No it wouldn’t really overlap like that. His eyes widened for a second before he grinned “Actually that’s a wonderful bet. And when I win you will have submitted to me completely which means no trying to escape, you work under, with, for me. And I will abide by the deal if you win you go free but that certainly won’t happen. Understand?” His grin grew larger, this was going to be fun and once he won a new challenge for him.Conquer and destroy the Spaniard emotionally.

Antonio’s eyes widened for a moment. It was? Was Arthur playing with him? No he looked fairly serious. He pushed himself up onto his knees and put his hands in his lap. Normally he would have scoffed at the mention that it wouldn’t happen. But for two reasons the scoff didn’t even begin. One, he was broken, he wasn’t going to show that much disrespect. Two, he honestly had doubts himself. He was weak and even struggled walking last night, let alone standing long enough to hold a sword and fight. But it was for his freedom and he had to try. He nodded quickly. “I understand” He said quickly in agreement. This was his last shot. He couldn’t throw it away.

Arthur nodded in satisfaction. He was only slightly surprised he didn’t get any lip about the other being certain he would win. Only slightly. Arthur knew that even with the pride of breaking his greatest rival, there was the ever so slight regret that he would never have that challenging spark again. He stepped back a bit as he unlocked the cell then moved forward to unchain the Spaniard. “Alright let’s go. You may as well eat so I don’t win because you passed out before we even begin.” He threw out casually before turning to make his way out and back onto deck, expecting Antonio to follow along.

Antonio gave a quick nod and pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled a few times before keeping his balance enough. He let out a wince and sighed softly. This was his freedom. He had to fight one last time for it. He followed after Arthur, much slower, struggling quite a bit. The sun shown down on him as he walked onto the deck and his eyes slammed shut. He hadn’t seen proper sunlight since the first time he had been taken down. He hated to think about it like that, but it was true. He had to stare downwards for a moment, wincing. It was then that he realized how pale he really was now. He had lost the tan he loved to keep. Being away from the sun guaranteed that his tan skin was now pale. After his eyes managed to adjust to the sun he walked on with Arthur.

Arthur kept up his usual pace, expecting the Spaniard to keep up with it even if he hadn’t had time to really walk much being chained and tortured. Heh. He could still push and prod at the brunette until after the fight. After that his plan would be put into motion and then he would have to be very careful with his actions and words. He led the way to the little kitchen area and walked by the chef gesturing for food to be made as he went to sit and relax at the table. “Sit. The food will be a minute.” His tone simply matter of fact as he looked over at Antonio.

Antonio followed him as close by as he could. He practically collapsed into the chair and looked up at Arthur. He rubbed at his eyes and started to make out plans in his mind. He had to figure out how he was going to go about doing this. He had to win this fight. But it was going to be really hard to fight when he couldn’t stand in the sun and he had a hard time standing as well. Maybe he would win off of something like dumb luck.

Arthur leaned back in his chair and accepted a very small portion as he had already eaten not even an hour ago but didn’t want to just be sitting there while Antonio ate his meal. The cook then placed a regular sized portion in front of Antonio along with a large glass of water before going to clean up once again. Arthur tilted his head a bit “Well either way you win or you lose it won’t be as bad as going back to the brig, eh? With your word I won’t have to worry about it much and you will get full meals and even a bed just as if you would if you won and was let go. Though when you lose you won’t have to worry about fighting me whenever I get bored.” He smirked lightly as he said this, twirling his utensil a bit.

Antonio looked up at the chef and thanked him. He didn’t even look at the water, fairly certain that after the night before he had plenty to last him a while. He pulled the food closer though, starting to eat that slowly. He wouldn’t be able to eat all of it, he was certain, but he had to eat as much as he could for now to get his strength up. He looked up when Arthur spoke again. “Wh-what? Y-you’re not going to kill me if I lose?” he asked. He knew Arthur was on the fence but he wanted to be informed about the decision. That was his biggest reason for needing to win. He didn’t want to die. He wanted his freedom of course, but he would rather lose and not have to die either.

Arthur focused on the Spaniard properly. He hadn’t meant to let that really slip out. He should’ve been paying more attention but he was planning farther ahead and it was distracting him from dealing with the present situation. He shook his head after a moment and frowned lightly “I’m thinking of how different situations would play out depending on how I choose. I’m just thinking aloud to myself. But as of right now it’s a 70:30 ratio of you not dying to you dying.” He shrugged lightly “As soon as you’re done we’re heading up to the deck. You will be allowed to use your own sword, which will be handed to you when we get up there.”

Antonio kept his eyes locked on Arthur, clear fear in them. He nodded shakily. “Sí okay, gracias¨ he paused. “Thank you” he decided to switch back to english. It didn’t really feel appropriate to be speaking his native if he was being honest. Even with this bet he belonged to Arthur now, win or lose later, and it didn’t feel right to speak anything other than English. He ran his fingers through his hair and finished eating. He sat back in the chair and looked at Arthur. “Okay. I’m done”

Arthur nearly rose a brow as he noticed the reiteration in English. That was good though, he was learning.That put a few more ‘points’ in his favor. Though if he was really honest he would have said he had no thought to killing Antonio now. But then he also might’ve been more suspicious of his motives. Either way Arthur was a cold dangerous man and he wasn’t afraid to use this fact to his advantage. He gave a short nod “Good. Let’s go. Sooner this is done, sooner I make up my mind.” He stood and led the way back up to deck where he gestured for one of hs men to hand the Spaniard his sword while he unsheathed his own and stood loosely as he waited.

Antonio nodded and stood up. He would prefer if Arthur never had to make up his mind. He followed Arthur back to the dock, wincing again at the light. After a moment or two his vision cleared and he thanked them for the sword, trembling as he unsheathed it and held it tight in his hand. He looked up at Arthur, holding the sword out and nodding to him. He wasn’t sure if they were going to do this traditionally or more like they usually did. So he would wait for Arthur to make the first move. That was the smarter tactic anyway.

Arthur only waited for the other to get his sword and for his men to get out of the way before he was starting forward. Not wanting to drag this out and show his superiority like he normally did. He wanted this to be quick but devastating for the other. He would give no room for the other to attack, he wanted to quickly tire him out before ending it. He had a plan for exactly how to go from there, he just needed the correct results and he usually did a fantastic job in this area. His sword flashed as he went through quite a few moves, wanting to keep the Spaniard defensive. He would be able to ignore any hits the other managed to land for the time being, foregoing defense unless absolutely required.


	2. Chapter 2

Antonio backed away slightly before nodding quickly and holding out his sword far enough to keep Arthur away. He was surprisingly able to block a few of them, dodging the others. Something had fired, something telling him over and over again that this was his last chance and he wasn’t about to waste this. If he was going to fail, he wasn’t going to do it within the first few swings.

Arthur couldn’t help the slight frustration mix with the slight excitement of the fight. He wasn’t trying to make it interesting but it was no surprise since the other thought his life was on the line. Desperate men proved to be able to do surprising things. But it didn’t matter to Arthur and he kept pressing forward, his face growing more serious and his wings harder. He switched up his aim randomly, legs, torso, arms, face. Of course keeping away from any lethal areas.

Antonio tried to stay mostly on the defensive, only attempting a strike when he saw an open spot. He was nicked in the arms a few times but mostly managed to avoid the legs. It was when it did hit his legs that he wasn’t able to stay standing anymore. He fell to the ground, wincing and trembling. He still gripped his sword tightly in his hand but he didn’t try to stand. He honestly expected Arthur to just end it right there. He didn’t look at him, he didn’t look anywhere but down. He was already sweating, trembling. His eyes began to water and he clenched his hands into fists. He had lost and he didn’t want to die. He almost wanted to beg, but he wasn’t sure if that would just make Arthur want to kill him more, so he didn’t speak.

Arthur had started to move forward again once the Spaniard fell but stopped when he didn’t attempt to stand up. He lowered his sword slightly, not being stupid enough to fall for lowered his guard just for the other to get up and take advantage of the moment. “Do you surrender? Toss the sword.” his tone was clipped as he talked. This was the moment he was aiming for but he didn’t want to chance it with Antonio still gripping his sword. He should have focused on trying to knock it away instead but he was still thinking more for the future.

Antonio paused in thought. Could he really stand up and continue the fight? Probably not. How was he supposed to say no though? It was his life on the line and this decision meant life or death, literally or not. He held his sword tighter for a moment before nodding and tossing the sword away. He still didn’t look at Arthur, terrified of what would happen if he looked up. What would he see in the Brit’s eyes? Arthur owned everything about him now and his entire life could be ended within seconds.

Arthur waited a moment and let a slow smile work its way onto his face. It probably looked odd, it was a mix of amusement and false sympathy. Though one wouldn’t be able to really tell. This was good, it was what he was waiting for.. He waited just another moment before sheathing his sword and he held his hand out, to off the other help up. “Well Antonio get up so I can show you to your living quarters.” He wanted to see the others reaction, he could already feel the amusement building up just from imagining it. This was a wonderful start to his plan and he was already feeling giddy from a new challenge.

Antonio’s eyes opened and he stared down for a moment before he looked up, directly at Arthur’s hand. He stared at it blankly, shocked before looking up at Arthur. He...He wasn’t going to kill him? His heart started to beat faster and he lifted a hand up ever so slowly, reluctant. What would come out him taking that hand? Was he going to regret it? He slowly placed his hand in Arthur’s and stood up with his help. “Ah...You...You’re not...thank you” he whispered.

Arthur quickly pulled the Spaniard to his feet and let go to turn around after a second. “I realized I would be quite bored without you around.” He shrugged lightly. He was going to use lonely but that would have been overdoing it. And it was the truth, a bit. Well, quite a while ago it might have been. Now it was just a challenge to win and he was so close to really winning. He started to lead the way to Antonio’s new quarters that he had available for awhile. It was slightly bigger compared to his crew members individual spaces, but was still small. But it was a subtle move to show he might favor the Spaniard. He would start off subtle before going for more obvious moves. He might be a cold merciless pirate but he knew how to charm people enough to get laid whenever he felt like it.

Antonio shifted in his stance and nodded. He followed after him and stayed quiet, holding his arm and looking down at the deck. He looked up at Arthur when he led him into the new area. He looked around the room before looking at Arthur again. “This...this isn’t a joke?” he asked, holding both of his arms. He didn’t want to get his hopes up that Arthur was going to be kinder and then have them fall down if Arthur just planned to throw him back in the brig. He wanted to be cautious.

Arthur scoffed “When have i joked? Did you not hear me earlier when I clarified exactly what it would mean if you lost and submitted to me entirely?” He shook his head and turned to leave “You won’t be required to participate in raids until you are healthy but you will be required to work with the rest of the crew on the ship. And you will keep to your word. Otherwise I will kill you. Understood?” He looked back to make sure the other gave an answer.

Antonio looked at Arthur and then quickly looked down again. He nodded. “S-...Yes, I understand” He said quickly. He didn’t plan on breaking his promise. He highly doubted that he would manage a second chance with Arthur, so he didn’t plan to try anything. He had promised that if he lost he would give himself to Arthur completely, and he planned to do so.

Arthur nodded in satisfaction and turned to go before pausing once again “Right you are excused from duties today of course. And lunch is usually served two hours from now. Dinner at dusk. I will be waiting for you in the morning to inform you of the crews, and now your, duties. Goodnight.” He didn’t wait for a response before he walked off. He definitely heard the other refrain from using spanish and it was more satisfying to hear now then the first time. He went off to make his rounds and set a new course. He would have to plan a lot more raids to stay invested in this drawn out plan. He wasn’t very patient but the end results would be more than worth it.

Antonio nodded quickly and watched as Arthur walked off. He sat down on the bed and just stared for a moment. He was trying to decide why Arthur was giving him a room. He honestly thought Arthur was only saying he had a chance of living to give him false hope. He was terrified the whole time they were fighting but it really wasn’t necessary? Honestly this was surprising, but appealing. He had to work, which he didn’t ever mind on his own ship, he didn’t have to worry about his own crew, and he got his own quarters. This just didn’t add up. Arthur was never this nice.

Arthur spent the afternoon on the deck. Relaxing mostly, as it’s hard not to when starting a new course on calm waters. He was going to give Antonio some time to relax before continuing with his plans. It would just be suspicious if he made a complete 180. No he would keep his distance for a few days, keep to subtle hints, before becoming ‘warmer’ and more friendly. He would also get his men to spread some rumors, nothing too obvious, unless they decided to get wild with them but there was only so much you could do with rumors. He let out a short laugh as he imagined the wild things they would turn a simple rumor into. By the time he was satisfied with his own work it was about time for supper.

Antonio stood up after a few more moments and started to pace. He ran his fingers through his hair. He was careful about making his way out for lunch, still scared that this was all some kind of trick. He went right back to his room when he was done and continued to pace, until he got sick in fact. He sat down and held his head. There was definitely too much happening all at once, so much so that his head hurt. He was out again in time for supper, but stayed back, as he did for lunch. He assumed he should wait for everyone else to eat first, since he couldn’t eat a normal portion anyway.

Arthur sauntered into the kitchen and grabbed his meal before everyone else. He subtly looked around as he turned to leave and continued on when he spotted the Spaniard. As he left he discreetly pulled one of his men to walk with him and made sure they would pass on the message that Antonio was to be offered food first. And if he asked all the crew would about being told to make sure the brunet was being allowed to work on becoming healthy, but also drop Arthur making sure of this as discreetly as possible.

Antonio watched Arthur come and go. He shifted and watched them go by. He was quick about getting food, eating it, then going back to his room. For now he was going to rest. He had spent enough time trying to figure out why and it wasn’t helping him feel any better about it. He laid his head down and curled up, pulling the blanket tight around his body and holding it in his fist. His eyes slid shut and for the first time since he had been there, Antonio actually managed to sleep without fear that he would wake up to Arthur torturing him again.

Arthur woke late the next day and slowly made his way to the kitchen to get breakfast before starting to make his rounds on deck. He was going just a bit more slowly than usual, waiting for Antonio to appear so he could assign him his duties from here on out. Or well for however long it took to get the ball rolling.

Antonio woke up as if he was at home on his own ship: early, well-rested, and one difference. He was still incredibly confused. He pushed himself up and ran his fingers through his hair. He quickly stretched and made his way out of the room. He honestly felt even a bit better injury wise. Like, everything still hurt like hell, but it was better to have slept on a real bed. He went into the kitchen and waited back a moment. He watched for Arthur then got some food for himself and moved away.

Arthur eventually lounged near the wheel. He woke up late so Antonio was probably already helping the crew and he didn’t want to be seen looking for him. He frowned lightly, he needed to keep easing his suspicions of him until he was trusted enough. His eyes narrowed lightly as he thought through a few more situations he could enable. Dinner. Alright he had a better plan. He quickly turned to scan the area to make sure everyone was doing their tasks before turning to make his way to his office. He actually hasn’t done any of that boring work in a while but his men needed/wanted their cuts.

Antonio ate quickly and then went about figuring out the layout of the boat. He didn’t know what exactly to do so he just went about cleaning any part of the ship that someone wasn’t cleaning and looked like it needed it. He ran his fingers through his hair and dumped his first bucket over the edge then went to fill it again.

While Arthur was working in the office around lunch he heard one of his men knocking on his door and he waved him away as he stood to get lunch as well. He took a detour around the ship as he went, casually giving orders here and there as he absently looked for his target. He spotted the Spaniard after half the walk around the ship. He sauntered his way over and subtly looked him over before clearing his throat to catch his attention. “Antonio, I forgot earlier to make sure you got patched up.”

Antonio was struggling by the time lunch came around, body trembling and aching. But he had lost and this was a hell of a lot better than Arthur killing him so he didn’t complain or try to stop. He looked up when he noticed Arthur’s shadow, almost thankful for it for a moment. He just hoped that his skin would tan back up soon. As of now it was already starting to burn his skin. He sat back on his hanches and wiped at his eyebrows, wincing slightly. “Ah...yeah...I didn’t want to ask about it. Or disturb you at all so I just started cleaning.” He said quietly.

Arthur’s brows rose a bit before he looked away to glance around for a moment. He turned back to the Spaniard with a light frown “After lunch you’ll be cleaned and patched up. You get your meals with me so you get back to a healthy weight and portions. Let’s go, leave the cleaning” He stated before turning and started to make his way to the kitchen area. He did regulate his pace this time, making sure to take the others pace into account and matched it.

Antonio watched him look away, thinking he had sounded stupid now that he’d said it outloud. He looked down again. When Arthur began to speak again he looked back up at him and nodded. He pushed the bucket aside, setting his other tools next to it and standing up, legs trembling at first before he was able to relax into the stance. He was glad Arthur seemed to be walking slower. But he didn’t think to much on it, not wanting to let himself trust Arthur. He was scared that this was still just some trick.

Arthur made his way into the little kitchen area and grabbed the plate the cook offered him as he made his way to the small table before gesturing for him to make one for Antonio. He sat down and lounged for a minute as he waited for the brunet to join him. “Have you learned anything from any of the crew yet?” He didn’t really want his crew to grow fond of Antonio but if he talked more with them he knew it would make him relax and trust him quicker.

Antonio sat down across from Arthur and shifted a bit. He ran his fingers through his hair. “I know where everything is now” he responded slowly. He shifted in the seat, wincing ever so slightly. “I didn’t want to interrupt them so I after I asked where to find things I just started cleaning where no one else was” he whispered. He hoped that was right. He didn’t want to get in trouble.

Arthur narrowed his eyes lightly as he noticed the other wince. That was good for him to exploit. He tilted his head and shrugged after a moment “I don’t really care how chores are done so long as they get done.” The cook placed another plate in front of Antonio before moving off to clean up the new mess. Arthur started to eat, pausing after a moment “Don’t go anywhere after the meal, you will follow me to the medical room area.” It wasn’t really fit to be called a medical room, that was just where all the supplies were. He knew first aid since he had to take care of quite a few wounds on his own but he also had a crew member that primarily dealt with medical aid.

Antonio looked up at Arthur and nodded. That was nice to know. He wouldn’t be getting in trouble for cleaning wrong as long as the cleaning got done. He looked up at the cook and thanked him softly, looking at the food and starting to eat it. He looked up at Arthur again, gulping down the food in his mouth and nodding quickly. Once he was sure there was no food left over in his mouth he opened it slowly. “Okay, captain” he said quietly before looking back down at his food and continuing to eat. God that felt so strange to say. He was supposed to be a captain. Yet here he was, submitting and following Arthur’s every order in hopes to avoid being hurt again.

Arthur had to really resist the urge to grin in dark amusement and satisfaction when he heard the other address him by his tite. He had to really think for a moment, as much as he wanted the other to continue to address him like that, would it pave the road to trust a bit faster if he insisted the brunet just call him Arthur? He nodded to himself and looked back up at Antonio “There’s no need to call me captain. Remember what I said? You’ll be working with me eventually.” He casually went back to eating.

Antonio looked up at Arthur again, confused at first. Was the Brit suggesting he just call him Arthur? Really? After everything that had been done to break him and insist that he belonged to Arthur and he was nothing more than a trophy or play toy to the Brit. He was really going to allow him to be on a first name basis? As shocking as it was, there was a comfort to it as well. He had previously assumed that the only reason Arthur was keeping him alive was to humiliate him and prove that he owned him. But he was given a room, given proper food, he was about to be given medical aid, and now he was allowed to call Arthur by his name? It was shocking, but all the while comforting. He nodded slightly. “Okay...Arth..ur” He paused in the middle, almost worried it was a trick before looking down to finish his food.

Arthur did grin this time but put on an encouraging air as he nodded shortly at the Spaniard. He finished his food after a few moments and pushed his plate aside as he stood. He stretched and stood next to the Spaniard as he waited for him “Just leave the plate when you’re done, the cook will clean it up.” He didn’t want to spend time waiting on Antonio while he cleaned dishes. “Follow me to the med room. I and another of my men will tend to your injuries. Since I was the main cause of them I know where and how to treat them.”

Antonio shifted slightly and winced again. He finished his food and left the plate where it was like he was told. He stood up shakily, knees trembling as he looked at Arthur. He nodded again, staying close to Arthur so that he wouldn’t lose track of him while he followed. He wasn’t sure if they’d walk through the crew but he didn’t want to lose Arthur if they did. He almost wanted to reach out and grab him, like a child would. But that would just make him look like a fool. So instead he held his own arms and decided to just stay close to him.

Arthur moved quickly but not too quickly so the Spaniard wasn’t being forced to move more than his limit. It was just a little annoying but he couldn’t say it was too unpleasant. He made his way to the other side of the ship and below deck. He went through his crew and pulled out the medically experienced one to tag along. Once they made it to the medical esque room he turned back to Antonio “Take off the shirt so we can start cleaning you up.” He tried to get his tone to be both blunt but reassuring at the same time, his lips twitched slightly to show a smile for a split second.

Antonio followed close behind him and made sure to only look at him so he wouldn’t end up too far behind. He paused when they were there and nodded, taking off his shirt, or what was left of it, quickly and setting it aside, though kept his arms in his hands. He was confused by the smile but he didn’t acknowledge it. He looked at the other crew member that had been brought in and paused, finally moving his hands away so that he could be seen and helped. He was honestly a bit embarrassed. There were scars of all shapes and sizes, bruises, and some clearly infected wounds all over his chest and back and there wasn’t really much he could do for the while he was stuck chained up in a cell. Oh and don’t get him started on the bruises and cuts from the chains.

Arthur gestured for the medic to start prepping all the things they needed to clean and patch up the Spaniards injuries. He grabbed the cleaning alcohol and dabbed some cloth onto it. He looked up at Antonio “We’re going to have to drain the infected ones while cleaning them. Do you understand?”

Antonio shifted and nodded. That sounded painful, but he knew that this would be a better pain. It would be a pain that meant he was going to get better. So this he would unfortunately have to deal with. “I understand” he said quietly, looking at Arthur and shifting on his feet.

Arthur nodded “Good, arms out and do not move until everything is wrapped.” he stated before starting the process of cleaning the infected wounds first then moved on to the others, his assistant helping it along faster and wrapping everything that needed it once everything looked good. They stepped back a bit and Arthur clapped his hand once “Alright, all done. Though we’ll have to check them once a day to make sure they don’t get infected again.”

Antonio nodded and held his arms out, standing still once he did. He couldn’t help but wince every now and then. But he managed to stay mostly still. He also couldn’t help but flinch when Arthur clapped. But he relaxed moments later and put his arms down. He nodded. “Okay, thank you Arthur” he whispered. He shifted. “should...Should I just..go back to cleaning now then?” he asked.

Arthur blinked “If you have the strength for it, sure. If you’d rather rest until tomorrow that is fine as well. But remember, meals with me. I will be around deck if I’m needed.” He turned and left after that, getting back to his own work. He thought he was doing a fairly decent job, giving him space but getting close at the same time. This definitely was a lot more strategy and planning than force.

Antonio nodded and shifted. “Okay.” he’d actually rather lay down for a while. He was in a lot of pain again from the medical work. He was grateful for it but still. He ran his fingers through his hair and hobbled off to the room he was in. He crawled into the bed, curling into himself and burying his face in the pillows. He didn’t honestly feel good but he didn’t want to say anything or overstep his boundaries.

Arthur went back onto deck and spent the rest of the time switching between supervising his men and mapping new courses, well new routes back to old places he liked before. This went on until the sun started to set, then he called it done for the day so he could get supper. He plopped himself at the table accepted some liquor as he waited for his food and his new ‘meal buddy’.

Antonio was down a few moments after Arthur had sat down. His cheeks were a bit red and his eyes reflected how he felt. Still not very good. He rubbed at his temples, ran his fingers through his hair and then looked at Arthur. “Is it hot? I feel really hot” he whispered.

Arthur glanced over at Antonio and he tilted his head a bit as he looked at the Spaniard’s face and mulled over his words for a moment. “Fever hot?” He asked lightly, it was never too good for anyone to get sick, especially pirates at sea. He hadn’t put this much effort to fix the brunet up and go through all his planning just to have the other get sick. He frowned a bit more as he really looked the other over, hoping he was just overthinking it and the other just wasn’t feeling well from the earlier treatment. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back as two plates were set down. Even so, he was going to watch Antonio a bit more closely, just in case he was getting sick. The sooner he acted the better it would be.


	3. Chapter 3

“I dunno. I just feel really hot” he muttered. Antonio sighed and looked at the chef. He hoped not. He didn’t want to be sick. He thanked the chef before looking at the food. Even that made him feel a bit dizzy and sick to his stomach. But he pushed the feelings aside to begin eating. He shifted in the chair and looked up at Arthur again. “I’m sure whatever it is will pass” he assured, shrugging and forcing a weak and broken smile.

Arthur was about to just shrug it off and think nothing more on it before he saw the others weird smile. He refrained from a long sigh and pushed his plate away “Alright. You look and sound sick now. Let’s go, you’re going to rest because we aren’t close to any land with actual medicine.”

Antonio looked up at Arthur again and nodded. He stood up and shifted on his feet. “I’m sorry” he whispered. He didn’t want to be sick, even if he knew he couldn’t control something like that, he felt bad that now Arthur was going to have to take care of him. But then again, Arthur had left him in a brig for a long time with shitty amounts of food and a lot of wounds. It was bound to happen if he was being honest.

Arthur shrugged “Not much can be done at this point. Let’s go, you’ll just stay in bed for the next few days.” He got up as well and left the kitchen, heading towards the room he had decided was for the Spaniard. “No one will bother you while you rest but you probably know it gets loud.”

Antonio nodded, following close to Arthur. He shrugged. “I’m used to sleeping through a loud crew, especially if I don’t feel good” He assured. When they got into the room he immediately removed his shirt and crawled into the bed, curling up and nuzzling into the blankets.

Arthur shrugged lightly, that’s generally what anyone learned when sleeping around a large group of men. He just felt like it would be a nice gesture to point it out as a fair warning. He paused in the room for a moment and watched the other settle in before shifting a bit as he tried to think of how to phrase something appropriately “Well I’ll have someone bring some light food every now and then and I’ll be around if you need me.” He waited a moment longer before turning and taking his leave. Well if the Spaniard got really sick, then if he did a proper job ‘taking care’ of him that was sure to gain him enough trust to get even closer. He would have to be the one to bring the food and such if he was to try that route he supposed.

Antonio looked at Arthur from his curled up position and nodded. “Okay. Thank you” he whispered. He pulled the blanket up to his chin and settled in fully. It didn’t take long for him to pass out, the effects of him being sick getting to him and causing him to feel extremely exhausted. Not to mention that with all he’d been through he was already always exhausted.

Arthur went up onto deck for awhile, eventually taking leave to his office once he resigned himself to the fact he couldn’t focus properly and he was taking his irritation out on his crew a little too much. They wouldn’t get much work done trying to stay out of his range of hearing and sight. He was irritated with Antonio and himself. With the Spaniard for making things more difficult, though he always enjoyed the difficulty of things, and himself for thinking on this longer than he really had to. It was bizarre and very annoying. He shook his head a bit as he sat at his desk, he had to expect and utilize his own feelings getting in his way. It might help, make his advances more genuine but he would have to be more guarded, it hasn’t even been two days. No, if he was really worried he wouldn’t be thinking this way now. It might just be him using the Spaniards name now. He shook off this train of thought as he got up for supper when the time came. He ate his before having the cook make up something similar to soup, a small portion, and went to bring it or leave it near the brunet. Depending on if he was awake or not.

Antonio stayed in the same position he had laid in all day. He didn’t move, didn’t wake up, didn’t think. It was the first time he really got to relax since he was here. He was comfortable in the bed, sick or not, so he slept like a rock. He woke up a bit later, looking up when the door opened and rubbing his eyes. He sat up and stretched out a bit. “What’s that?” he asked, voice soar. “Food?” he yawned again and scooted to the side of the bed. “Thank you” He whispered. He moved his hair out of his face and gave Arthur a short smile.

Arthur paused for a moment when Antonio made it clear he was awake before nodding and moving forward to hand off the small bowl of soup. “I figured you wouldn’t be able to eat much normally but also being sick wouldn’t help but soup is usually good for you.It’s really just some kind of broth with fish, whatever the cook could come up with.” He shrugged lightly “Do you need anything?” There really wasn’t much he could really do in the way of conversation without sounding odd and he really didn’t want to put the other off. He was hoping the Spaniard would give him an opening.

Antonio scooted closer to Arthur, taking the soup in his hands and smiling at it. He started to eat it slowly. “I think it will help yeah.” he whispered. He shifted and tilted his head. He wanted to ask Arthur so many questions. But they were all questions that could potentially get him in trouble and Arthur was being so nice and he didn’t want to lose that. “I uh...I don’t know...I don’t think so” he whispered. “I am starting to feel a little better after sleeping actually. I think I just put a little too much into everything after I hadn’t stood or been around much. I just overexerted myself. I’m sure I’ll be fine” he smiled. Though this didn’t really feel true, he hoped it made Arthur feel better.

Arthur frowned and nodded after a moment, that sounded about right “Alright then. I’ll leave you to sleep then. If you need me just call out for any of my crew that passes by and they’ll get me. Otherwise I’ll check in tomorrow when I bring more soup.” He was a bit annoyed overall since he really didn’t have anything to go off of except give the man soup but it was fine for now, it seemed the other was seemingly warming up to him a bit. He waited for any other comments before giving a nod and leaving.

Antonio shifted and nodded. “Oh...Okay” he shrugged. He kind of hoped Arthur would stay. But he didn’t get much to talk about and he was sure Arthur was busy. He was a captain after all. So he doubted he had time for sick, broken, bastards like Antonio. The Spaniard laid down again after he finished the soup, setting the bowl aside and curling up again. It once again didn’t take long to pass out. The soup did many things to his body, both good and bad. But sleep was helping.

Arthur went to bed rather early but that meant he woke earlier than usual as well. He wasn’t too happy about that. He took more of his irritation out on any crew members he came across knowing he couldn’t do so with Antonio anymore. Unfortunate, but necessary. Arthur had to wait nearly two hours before it was an appropriate time for breakfast and he once again made the cook whip up some soup while he ate. He finished in time for the soup to be ready and collected another small bowl to take to the brunet. He knocked once before entering “I brought soup for breakfast.” He called out in way of greeting.

Antonio woke up sometime in the middle of the night but went back to sleep pretty quickly after he realised how late it was. He curled back up. It was about then that the nightmares set in. When Arthur came in, Antonio shot up, body sweaty and face full of tears. He trembled and looked away for a moment before nodding and shivering. He relaxed and reached up to wipe his eyes quickly, wincing and pulling his legs closer to him. “O-Okay” he whispered. “Th-thank you” he shifted again. “A-Arthur” it still felt so weird to speak his name and not use a bite in his tongue. It was strange, but not bad. “D-Do you have to leave after I eat?” he asked.

Arthur blinked slightly as his eyes adjusted to the dark room, wondering if he should’ve waited more than he had before stepping in. He moved forward and handed off the soup before stepping back. He nearly raised a brow at the odd question but refrained and shook his head. “No. I woke early and got most of my work done so I’m not needed until lunch.” He was about to ask if the other wanted him to stay but thought that might cause the other to back out and say no. So he was going with assuming he was meant to stay and pulled up a chair from the corner of the room and turned on the light before plopping himself in the chair to get comfortable. “How are you feeling?” He wasn’t going to mention the scene earlier unless the Spaniard brought it up. He had manners when needed.

Antonio took the soup and looked down it. “I-I...have so many questions...but I don’t want to upset you” He whispered. He started to eat some of the soup. “I feel better” he whispered. “I really don’t want to sleep anymore. But I don’t really know what else to do” he shrugged. “I don’t know if I even have the energy to clean. But as I said I don’t want to upset you. I just...This is all really weird for me. You have never been this nice to me. I was so sure you were going to kill me but instead you brought me to a bedroom and you’re taking care of me. I just don’t...know why”

Arthur stayed silent until the other was done and shrugged lightly “I realized I get more excitement keeping you around. At first you were just something I wanted to destroy but I had been thinking, and if I did that then there wouldn’t really be any point to anything. If you have questions, ask.”

Antonio shifted and started to eat again. He fet a bit odd about the first part but he made no comment on it. “Well I wanted to know why. But I guess that kind of answered it. I want to know where you plan to go with this too” he whispered. “I mean I won’t be sick the whole time. Am I really just going to be part of your crew as if it’s normal? I don’t really know how to do that” He whispered. “I’ve always been a captain. I’ve never really worked as a crew member. I mean I’ll learn, I’m sure” he shrugged.

Arthur tilted his head a bit “I was being very literal when I said you would be working under me and with me. Eventually when I can trust you with things you will get more leeway and more opportunity to act as if you have as much power as I do on this ship. For now you will indefinitely be working as part of the crew, think of it as working your way up. Anything else?”

Antonio shrugged. “I guess that makes sense” he shifted again. It was so strange to attempt a casual conversation with Arthur, especially about this subject. He shook his head. “I think those were the only questions that actually mattered” he shrugged. “The other stuff you can do about as much as I can I am sure so I doubt asking you would make any sense” He finished the soup and set it aside.

Arthur’s brows furrowed slightly and his eyes narrowed as the curiosity followed “Well now you should ask anyway since I want to know.” He also didn’t want to sit in awkward silence and if the Spaniard wanted him to stay then he should come up with something substantial. His honesty was vague enough to where it could work very well in gaining trust even if he meant it in a completely different way than how it was perceived.

Antonio blinked and shifted, shrugged. “I just was gonna ask if you ever have trouble with dreams. I don’t know what to do about them. But I can’t stop having nightmares” he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “It sounds stupid now doesn’t it?” He chuckled and looked away from Arthur. “I dunno. It’s no big deal. I’ll just ignore them.”

Arthur shifted a bit in his chair and hummed as he thought for a few moments “Yes there was a time when I would have constant nightmares. At first I would exhaust myself to the point where I would pass out and that was because there would be a good chance of dreamless sleep. After a long while I realized I did have control in them and either twisted them so they were pleasant or just basically told it to fuck off. I would suggest the first option, twisting it from whatever makes it terrifying, if it’s a thing pretend it’s become a hobby, if it’s a person befriend or seduce them.” He shrugged again “That’s really all I have based on what worked for me.”

Antonio tilted his head. “Really? You can just control your dreams like that?” He looked up at Arthur and blinked in confusion. “I haven’t even managed that. Wait...like befriending and or seducing that person in real life?” his eyes went wide. “I uh..don’t think the person in my dreams wants either of those things if I am being honest. I really don’t know what he wants” His cheeks were a bit red from the thought but he tried to ignore it.

Arthur nearly laughed “Yes that’s exactly what I mean. Even if you don’t think they want that, just attempting it will help in a way. And once you know, will help settle whatever is causing the night terrors because then you have something definite your subconscious can use rather than the unknown or what you knew before. If you have a place where this person is I am now more than willing to make a stop there if it’s on the way to the next town.”

Antonio bit down harshly on his own lip and shivered uncomfortably. “I know where he is. I um...he’s not in some town” He pulled his legs up into a criss cross position and pressed his hands into the bed between them, head down. Did Arthur not even consider that the nightmares were about him? “He’s actually pretty close. Closer than you might think” He didn’t want to flat out admit that. But maybe he could hint at it. God he wouldn’t be surprised if Arthur laughed at him about it.

Arthur frowned not really understanding at first, but then he went on to sound cliche and it was more than a little stupid. His frown deepened for a moment, now understanding the Spaniard was having nightmares about him. Well he wasn’t too sure how to respond. He would like to just keep going with his suggestion and tell the spaniard to just go for it, but he was also certain that wouldn’t help. Or he could play dumb but that’s a bit too hard with the others blatant hint. He leaned back in his chair to give himself a moment more to think. How could he take advantage of this while also trying to gain the other’s trust? He shook his head “Okay, well then, what would help you about this?” There he was showing he understood he was the one in the nightmares, and he was open to help the other on his terms. He would even apologize if that would help progress this forward.

Antonio watched Arthur’s reactions and body language, worried that the Brit would just up and laugh at him or something along those lines. But that wasn’t what happened and in fact he was a bit shocked at what Arthur did end up saying. Did that mean he did know and he was offering to help? Even though he caused it? That was strange. But maybe it would help. “I don’t really know” he shrugged. “You said to become friends or seduce the person. I don’t know if my kinds of flirting would seduce you” He tried to lighten the mood a bit, chuckling softly at his own joke before shrugging. “And after all that has happened between us. Is there even a slight chance of us being friends?”

Arthur tilted his head “No, you’re probably right, I’m more blunt when it comes to seduction, when targeted at me. Honestly, it depends on you, I have no hard feelings. I’ve even told you I plan on you becoming more or less equal to me. I enjoy the rivalry, you drive me to improve.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked calm, he wasn’t really bothered by the conversation, and honesty gains trust so why not?

Antonio’s shoulders relaxed for a moment and he uncrossed his legs, holding his arm and looking at Arthur. He was silent for a moment. Just staring at the blond. Arthur held no hard feelings for their past years? Maybe now. Now he’d gotten Antonio back for it. Maybe they were on more even playing fields now. It might just work if they tried. “I...am not really sure. I guess...we could try it. Maybe more the friendship thing then later on we can try some romance, after we’ve gotten better acquainted.” Oh god did he really just say that. His cheeks heated and he huffed. “I mean...ahhh...shit”

Arthur started to nod before his brows raised slightly. He couldn’t help the amusement show on his face and his lips quirked up a bit “Ah yes, if you want we can try it. I’ll follow your lead this once.” this went far better than he could have hoped and if he basically handed over control for how this progresses over to the brunet then he can have the guarantee of the plan being a success. He would also be able to enjoy himself too so win win. For him. For Antonio it would be a win then lose. He nodded a bit “Anything else you want to know or even share? Or would you rather me leave since you seem to be a bit embarrassed.” His lips twitched again as amusement flashed in his eyes.

Antonio nodded. “I’d like to try” he whispered. He looked up and tilted his head. Really? Arthur was going to let him try to lead their way into being at least friends. That almost sounded nice. He blushed even darker when Arthur mentioned his embarrassment. “I-I...I mean if you have to get back to your duties or whatever...I mean...we could just talk for a bit. Ya know. No boundaries or anything. A normal conversation. It might help us” he bit his lip. “But I’d hate to be the reason you missed out on doing your job as captain”

Arthur scoffed “You make it sound like I’m being lazy. No I don’t have any more duties to perform until later so I’m free enough.” He waved off those concerns before moving into a lounging position “Alright then, I’m fairly open so I don’t care what the topic is. Also remind me after lunch to check your bandages.” He had actually forgotten those for a moment but had remembered when actually looking at the brunet. He wasn’t very good at coming up with casual conversation but he could contribute and answer questions.

Antonio bit his lip. “That’s not what I meant by it.” he shrugged, scooting to lean against the wall, pulling to covers up over his knees. He held his knees to his chest and looked up in thought. “Okay I will remember that” He shrugged. “I don’t really know much about what has been going on. I haven’t really been around much as of late” he muttered. “I’m not sure how to start up a conversation” he shrugged. “I don’t suppose you know anything about what’s current in Spain?”

Arthur shrugged “I’ve only been able to plan one raid since our last fight and it wasn’t near Spain. I don’t pay attention to any current events unless I’m there and want to keep from getting involved. Or figure a way to get as much as I can from it” He sat up and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees, wooden chairs got uncomfortable fast, and tilted his head a bit “Well since you want to try to be friends doesn’t that mean we have to ask those questions to get to know each other better?”

Antonio shrugged. “I didn’t think so. It’s no big deal, just curious” He shrugged. He flattened out his legs again. “Oh..yeah I uh..I guess that is true” he bit down on his lip before shrugged. “You know...you could uh...sit on the bed” he offered before shrugging. “If you want or...I dunno. Anyway. What kind of questions do we ask then? Like um...what would you be doing if not this? like if money wasn’t an issue, what would you do?”

Arthur tilted his head and raised a brow “I won’t make you uncomfortable Antonio, I’m fine here.” He hummed lightly and ran a hand over his hair as he thought for a moment “If not this? Hmm well I probably wouldn’t have grown to enjoy violence and fighting so much so I would probably do something with animals or teaching even. Not kids cause that’s hell, but probably adults would be fine.” He shrugged again, he’d never really given it thought before but it didn’t matter since this is what he had chosen to do.

After about a month of their awkward encounters and Antonio finally starting to realise that Arthur didn’t seem to be planning on hurting him, Antonio had gotten better and worked his way up quite a bit. He had started to tan again too, almost back to full health. He didn’t join in on any raids. He never even bothered asking since he was pretty sure that Arthur wouldn’t be okay with him going. He just stayed behind and cleaned up the deck. It was significantly easier when no one was around to step right where he cleaned. He even helped Arthur organise his cabin. He smirked and entered Arthur’s cabin, crossing his arms. “Morning, Arturo” Ah yes that tick was back. But it didn’t seem to bother Arthur as much now. “Did you sleep well? The ship is on track still, I made sure when I woke up. But you could always check again if you’d prefer”

Arthur sat up, a slight scow on his face, still not a morning person. He stood and stretched with a small grunt “I slept fine, Anthony.” He only ever used that name when Antonio messed with his. Well not always but he was always annoyed in the mornings and that fell back onto his name being twisted. He waved off the others words “I trust your word, it’s fine. More time to focus on food.” He frowned slightly as he walked out of the cabin and towards the kitchen, when did he start automatically accepting the brunet's word like that? He shook his head, it didn’t matter, it made it more authentic. He looked over at Antonio “We should be arriving at the next destination within three days still, correct? You can participate in this one if you’d like. Unless you prefer staying behind.”

Antonio cringed and huffed. He should have expected as much when he used Arthur’s name like that. He smiled brightly when Arthur claimed to trust his word and followed after him towards the kitchen. “Around that. It might be a little less than that” he chuckled. He blinked in slight confusion. “Really? I’d love to come!” He had to stop himself from bouncing in excitement. He didn’t even have to bring it up! Arthur mentioned it all on his own. He was going to get to do the fun part of being a pirate again. He smiled brightly and stood by Arthur when they got into the kitchen.

Arthur nodded “Of course. Good to hear.” The Brit moved forward and gave the cook what he wanted for breakfast before plopping himself at the table and lazily looked over at Antonio “Right, most of the loot goes to me and the ship but every man gets to keep a small bit of what they find, so choose carefully. You can have your weapon back as well, I trust you won't use it wrongly.” He stated this all very casual, almost in a bored time as he waited on his food.

Antonio requested a breakfast as well before sitting across from him. He smiled and nodded. “That sounds fair enough” he shrugged. Hearing about getting his weapon back made him even more pleased with the whole situation. He could use his sword again. That sounded wonderful. “Thank you” he smiled at Arthur before leaning back and just relaxing while he waited.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur nodded lightly in acknowledgment. It was a bit odd of him to actually keep the weapon, he originally thought it would get to this point so there hadn’t been a need for him to keep it. But now it was a good decision on his part. No pirate would accept parting with their weapon, if it was a good one. It was like his coat really. He nodded to the chef when their plates were set down and then the clamor from the crew coming in to eat started up and Arthur relaxed a bit more with the added noise. Everything was going more than well, it was taking a lot longer than he had anticipated but it was slow enough at this point he couldn't really be annoyed with it. Hopefully with this, it would get Antonio comfortable enough to try the progression to ‘romance’, since the blond already said he would follow his lead on it.

Antonio thanked the chef when he brought over the food and started to eat it. He watched Arthur, humming to himself before just finishing up with his food. He ran his fingers through his hair and stretched a bit. “What would you like done after we eat? The usual? Or something else in particular?” he asked. He asked this often, wanting to make sure he was doing right in Arthur’s eyes. He had considered flirting a bit. Maybe he could move on to that after the raid? Yeah that sounded like a good plan.

Arthur paused “The usual. Then after we should prepare the ship in case any of the people in the way of our raid slips past and boards the ship. Locals aren’t stupid so I don’t want to leave it to chance.” He went back to his food and pushed the plate away once he was finished. His crew had become accustomed to the change regarding the Spaniard and answered promptly to him after Arthur. Arthur was only really irritated they hadn’t asked about it and just simply assumed, but the less they knew the more surprising the result will be. He stood to make his way to the deck and turned to wait for Antonio.

Antonio nodded. “Sounds like a good plan” he stretched out a bit before standing up to follow Arthur. He was glad the crew was already adjusting to him moving up so quickly and not complaining. He enjoyed being in charge of people again, even if it was a lot different that actually being captain. He usually had similar orders to Arthur so most of the time he could be trusted on his own by the crew. He followed Arthur up to the deck before going about his usual duties to make sure the ship stayed in good condition.

Arthur was getting complacent with the Spaniard, didn’t even think twice going about his duties and having Antonio work alongside sharing the work. Well now that he was realizing how comfortable he was getting made him think twice. He needed to snap out of this thinking and continue to look at it objectively. Would he be fine when it reached the end? Yes, he would. He had to think for longer than he should have but the excitement about achieving the end was still there. He started to give out flippant orders to either reinforce some parts of the ship or focus on stashing things and lock it away.

Antonio hummed along to the songs in his head while he worked. After finishing his usual work he got to work setting up the ship for any unexpected invaders. He followed any orders he was given, of course, but also took a few small matters into his own hands to ensure that the ship wouldn’t lose. These were simple things that he would make sure happened on his own ship. He ran his fingers through his hair before moving towards Arthur. “I think the ship will do well, Arthur” He said as he approached the captain.

Arthur turned to Antonio before turning back to looking around the ship, mentally going through everything that should have been done before nodding confidently. “Of course. I very rarely get anyone who is able to get onto my ship since I make it a point to go in first, but those that are able to slip past usually can’t make much on the ship before I get back to deal with it.” He grinned sharply, very smug. It did make everything more exciting when an opponent proved better than he thought. “What is there left? Or is it just boring paperwork for me?” Once he realized he could rely on Antonio to keep track of most of everything really he took advantage of that.

Antonio nodded and smiled. He looked around for a moment before shrugging. “I think that’s it.” he made a mock disgusted face at the mention of paperwork. “Do you really want to work on all that paperwork though? I mean who is going to stop you from just ignoring it? That’s what I would do” he laughed softly before shrugging. “I mean it’s up to you. But I say ditch it for something more..I dunno...interesting?”

Arthur was about to let out a snort at the thought, he had to make sure his ship and everything was in order, but then the Spaniards tone caught his attention. He raised a brow and fully turned his attention onto the other “Hmm and interesting thing would you have in mind?” He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly, a small smirk on his lips. He was very curious, it seemed like Antonio had something in mind, and from what he knew there usually wasn’t much to do on a ship unless finding another to raid or doing chores.

Antonio smirked and flicked his hair out of his eyes. “I have quite a few things in mind Arturo. In fact have I ever told you? Si tus ojos fueran el cielo y tu boca el mar, me gustaría ser el horizonte para poderte besar” He smirked and moved closer to Arthur, putting his hands on his hips. That should spice things up, be a bit more interesting for Arthur.

Arthur didn’t really like to admit to not knowing things, but he only had a basic grasp on spanish and his growing interest suddenly declined as he was suddenly faced with confusion and slight annoyance with not knowing what the other said and unsure of whether it was good or not. From the tone and body language it seemed like it would be good but again he wasn’t entirely sure. He had started to lean forward in anticipation but leaned back with a small frown and furrowed his brows slightly “I would go along with this but I have no idea what you said.” Might as well admit it rather than make a fool of himself.

Antonio pouted and grumbled before shrugging. “It was worth a shot” he chuckled. “I was saying that if your eyes were the sky and your mouth were the sea, I’d like to be the horizon to be able to kiss you. That is a translation for you, happy?” he smirked again, moving closer to Arthur once again. “A while back you said to try to seduce the man of my nightmares. Well Arturo, you’ve now become the man of my dreams”

Arthur’s face smoothed out as understanding came to him before that was replaced with a wide amused and smug grin “Yes, I am happy.” He paused and nearly laughed but refrained, not wanting to end up discouraging the brunet, but it really was amusing. He shook his head lightly “Oh have I now?” He leaned forward again with his smug grin and half lidded eyes “I’ll make all your wildest dreams come true then.”

Antonio turned red at the response. He didn’t exactly expect Arthur to respond to that, especially not like that. He covered his mouth and bit down on his lip. “Do you think that is more interesting than your papers, then?” he asked though still tried to conceal all his blushing. He closed the distance between their bodies, gripping the fabric of Arthur’s shirt in his chest. He moved his head close to Arthur’s leaving a small gap between their lips. “Some of my wildest dreams may not be so easy for you to accomplish”

Arthur did scoff at that last statement, and let the other move closer without doing anything. His eyes flicked down before moving back up to meet his eyes. The smug smile was still present and only grew to show his growing excitement. “Mmm I think we’ll have to see about that, aye?” He tilted his head slightly before deciding the opportunity was more than ready to take and closed the distance between them. He started out nice and gentle, not wanting to botch up this opportunity before it really opened up.

Antonio hummed in agreement and nodded. He slid his eyes shut when Arthur did in fact seal the kiss. He lifted his arms up and wrapped them around Arthur’s neck. This felt odd. He was kissing the man who both ruined and recreated his life. It was confusing, but not unpleasant. He pulled himself in deeper, wanting Arthur to push forward with the kiss but not wanting to pull away to tell him to do so.

Arthur wrapped his arms around the brunet and pressed him closer as he started deepen the kiss. He swiped his tongue along the other’s lip before impatiently nipping at his lip. He had waited nearly a month to get his far. He knew he shouldn’t try to go any farther than this, at least not now. Maybe later. But right now he would take this and get the most out of it.

Antonio let his mouth slide open for Arthur, letting his arms drop and grip at the Brit’s coat. He didn’t even consider a fight for dominance at this point. There was honestly no reason to. He enjoyed being controlled when it came to relationships. Just as long as everything remained up to him how far they went.

Arthur made a pleased sound at the other’s submission and lightened his touch as his tongue delved into the Spaniard mouth. He refrained from looking desperate and rough as he was usually wont to do when faced with these situations of sexual dominance. Instead he only prolonged the kiss a minute longer before pulling away with a wide smirk and expectant gaze “And how was that?”

Antonio gasped when Arthur pulled away, blush forming on his cheeks. He smirked in return and moved his face closer to Arthur’s again. “Mmm probably the second best kiss I have ever experienced” he smirked. Hopefully that would drive curiosity. That was his goal anyway. He pushed on Arthur’s chest to move himself away from the Brit. “close though”

Arthur raised his brows in response as he listened to the other and narrowed his eyes a bit as he automatically let go of the brunet ”second?” He stepped towards Antonio “And what and who is this first that is better than me?” He was most definitely confident about his skills in the kissing and more department, and he was also more than sure the other was just trying to pull his leg, but he couldn’t deny it was working, he wanted to know and was almost personally offended he was considered a second.

Antonio nodded and smirked. “Yes, second. Don’t worry, Arturo.” he shrugged. “My number one spot is reserved for a shy cabin boy I once...met…” He shrugged. “He was young, maybe 19? He was the best kisser I have ever met. But I haven’t seen him since. So of the people I can kiss whenever I want? You’re number one” he laughed.

Well that didn’t alleviate anything, he was bested by someone younger than him, how irritating. He pursed his lips together “Saying I’m number one out of convenience is worse.” He scowled lightly and crossed his arms. He definitely would always deny any suggestion of him pouting or sulking, he was too collected for that. He just liked being the best at everything, especially in the pirate and sexual department. Especially when he was trying to seduce the guy yet he wasn’t better than some kid. He couldn’t even really go to his cabin since that would not help the sulking point.

Antonio only laughed again. “Are you jealous? Mister Pirate Captain, Mister get the girl and the guy, he’s..lemme hear it come on...Capitan Arturo is Jealous” he teased before kissing Arthur’s cheek. “Mm I guess you’ll just have to kiss me more often until it’s the best then won’t you?” he whispered close to his face.

The blonds eyes narrowed further and his scowl deepened “I’m not jealous...I just don’t like being beaten by a kid.” He paused and glanced over at Antonio slightly mollified “True, I suppose.” He muttered lightly, and it wasn’t like the kid was in the picture now. Or that Arthur was going to keep this up long enough to really care. Just until Antonio truly fell in love with him.

Antonio shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair. “That was kind of an open invitation to kiss me whenever, by the way” He smirked and kissed Arthur’s cheek once again. “For real, though do you really have to do all that paper work because I can probably list a million more entertaining things”

Arthur grinned devilishly and turned his face and leaned forward just enough for their lips to barely brush together before he pulled away “Good to know.” He paused and tilted his head with a small frown as he thought “Hmm no, I can put it off for awhile honestly, there just usually isn’t anything better to do.” He shrugged casually “Well what would you rather I do then?”

Antonio pouted when he was practically teased and crossed his arms. “Well let’s see, there are hundreds of things pirates are know for” he paused. “You in particular, as well as myself, are known for more sexual things. I’m not sure if you and I have done that yet. But if I belong to you. We really should” he shrugged.

Arthur raised a brow “How are you not sure? We haven’t either, by the way.” He smirked a moment later “But actually that sounds like a great idea and makes quite a bit of sense put that way.” He paused “And you are correct I am very well known in that regard.” He winked lightly before tilting his head “Are you suggesting sex now? I would be more than happy to comply but I figured you’d want to wait a while longer, but” He shrugged casually “I don’t mind sooner than later.”

Antonio shrugged. “I think I have good reason to not remember most of what we have done together so I am going to ignore that” he shrugged. He smirked at the wink and shrugged. “I am suggesting it now. I wanted to wait. But I realised that there really isn’t a reason to wait and I honestly haven’t done it in a while and I kind of crave it” he laughed softly.

Arthur frowned a bit as he realized he probably sounded like an ass. After a moment he shook it off and gave a sharp grin of excitement and anticipation “Oh that’s definitely relatable. And we have plenty of time now that I just cleared my schedule until the raid.” He gestured lightly towards his cabin “If you’re suggesting then after you.”

Antonio chuckled and shrugged. He grabbed Arthur’s hands in his own and pulled him along with him towards the cabin. He made sure the door was closed behind them before sitting on the edge of the bed to look up at Arthur. “Okay, Capitan. You said I was in charge and because I am in charge I am going to order to you to dominate the shit out of me”

~~Short timeskip of a couple hours~~

Well that was certainly very satisfying. Rough sex was a great way to release some aggression in a pleasurable manner to all parties involved. “I bet I’m number one for sex, aye?” It was just a casual comment, more rhetorical than anything. “And it’s around dinner time I think.” After as much activity as that he certainly was hungry and was sure the Spaniard was as well.

Antonio panted and turned to look at Arthur. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Sí you are at the top of that list for certain” He chuckled softly. He sat up and stretched out. “Though I am certain I will be sore, so a minus 1 for that” he teased. “Still number one though” He hummed. “Mm food sounds amazing right now”

Arthur snorted “That should add to the score. Always means it was a good lay.” He rolled out of the bed and stood before stretching languidly. He simply threw on his coat and pants before turning back to the brunet “Ready?” He asked, still slightly amused. “Mm I wish we still had some grog from the last land raid we pulled.” He muttered lightly. Alcohol was always a good thing to have on hand and he definitely wanted some now after a good lay he hasn’t had in awhile. Damn.

Antonio laughed again. “I suppose you are correct.” He nodded and grabbed his underwear, putting those on before nodding. “Mmhm. Ready” He stood and stumbled a bit. Ah already sore. He grumbled and huffed. “I just wish that I could have a good fuck and be able to walk after” he muttered under his breath before shrugging and moving towards the brit.

Arthur’s grin widened “Ah but I think you look amazing like that, shows I did a great job.” He winked “Would you like me to carry you if you can’t walk.” He laughed at his own humor before taking the few steps to the door and held it open “After you. Mm this way my men will know what I did.” He was more than a little smug as he looked the other over. There was no denying it especially since the Spaniard wasn’t making any effort in covering up.

Antonio huffed. He stuck his tongue out at Arthur before walking out the door with a slight limp. “Why should I hide it? Might as well show off who I belong to” he chuckled as he walked by the Brit. He made his way towards the kitchen, humming softly as he walked.

That just made Arthur that much more smug about it. He made his way to the kitchen being a bit more mindful of the others pace since he was clearly limping. He gave the cook his order, wanting something like breakfast instead of the usual kinds of things for dinner. It was a lazy day and also one that warranted more grease in his food than usual. He plopped himself in his chair and made himself comfortable lounging basically.

Antonio smiled when they got into the kitchen and gave the cook his order as well. He sat down across from him and hummed again, leaning back. He was fairly content with the situation. It felt nice to be in power again. He may not be on the top but being one beneath the captain had its benefits. Arthur’s sex-drive being one of them. He chuckled to himself at that thought.

Once Arthur got his food and started to eat he looked back up to Antonio “Once we’re done I’m going to start my paperwork, and I want you to make sure the course is still good and how far we are from our destination. And make sure the crew did as they were supposed to and everything else is done but that’s a given.” He waved carelessly as he talked, it wasn’t a big deal and he wasn’t ordering the Spaniard, but more just stating it out loud really.

Antonio nodded. He started to eat when he got his food. “Mkay. Consider it done” he shrugged. He knew by this point that Arthur didn’t really order him around. But he never really considered doing other than what Arthur wanted. There was no reason for him to do anything different. Not now at least.

Arthur nodded in satisfaction “Alright. I’ll most likely still be in the office when you’re done.” He said lightly before pushing his plate away once he was done after a few moments of silent eating. He got up, hesitated for a moment before thinking it was something appropriate to do, and leaned forward to quickly offer the brunet a surprise kiss, not as gentle as the first or the not so much a kiss, but much quicker than both before turning and leaving to do some actual boring work.

Antonio hummed in response. He was pushing his plate away when Arthur kissed him and he smirked. He kissed him in return, quite enjoying that Arthur felt it was appropriate. He hummed and stood up, stretching out a bit. He winced and huffed before heading up to check their course and the status of the crew.

Arthur sighed as he made his way into his office and looked at the papers in distaste before sitting himself down and started to write. It was stupid he had to do this, he was a pirate, he should have been free of this. But noo, ship repairs, his crew needing to be paid, updating contracts, all those small details. What a waste of time. He grumbled and cursed at the work for a solid hour before he pushed the papers away, half done, he deserved a few minute break to rest his hand and eyes.

Antonio stretched out after a while of helping out make sure the crew was prepared and everything was on track for the raid. He made a few more small adjustments before heading into Arthur’s office. He plopped himself on one of the other chairs and smiled. “How’s the paperwork coming?” he asked, knowing full well that it sucked. It was his least favourite thing about this whole thing. Yes, even the threats of being captured. At least then he didn’t have to sit for hours on end and fill out useless forms.

Arthur grunted in response before moving to look at the other “I still have at least another hour of this damned stuff.” He gestured irritably over at the two stacks, one was finished the other was not. “I’m taking a couple minutes to rest my hand.” He grumbled as he leaned forward to cross his arms and place them on the table as he rested his chin on them. “How’s the ship?”

Antonio made a disgusted face. “That’s so much” He pouted. “Do you get behind or do you just always have that much?” He asked. He shrugged. “The ship is all prepared for the raid, cleaned, and on the way. So in shorter words, perfecto” He smiled and put his hands in his lap. He stood up walked behind Arthur, starting to massage his shoulders. “You’ll never be relaxed with this many knots in your shoulders, gosh” He was honestly a bit surprised that he could feel so many.

Arthur leaned back a bit into the Spaniards touch, though was more than a bit surprised “Obviously I put it off until the last minute which is usually a bit before a raid or regular land trip.” He attempted to shrug but couldn’t manage that well with the current situation. He nearly closed his eyes at how good that felt if he was being honest “Hmm, it’s hard to relax when you always have to be on top of things” He snorted lightly “Mm but this feels great.” It hurt a bit here and there but it was a good relieving pain.


	5. Chapter 5

Antonio hummed and nodded. “I tried to space it out but honestly it ended up piling up anyway so I don’t blame you” he chuckled. “I suppose that is true. But you should at least get a chance to relax every now and then” he hummed and kissed Arthur’s head. He continued the massaging, almost determined to get rid of the knots now. But he also was careful not to hurt Arthur too much.

Arthur relaxed more into it the longer the Spaniard spent. He couldn’t help rolling his shoulder every now and then, really enjoying the feeling if he had to be completely honest. “I suppose. I have goals to fulfill before I would think of that, but with how things are going it won’t be too long until I achieve them.” He couldn’t help the sly smug smirk that quirked his lips before he let out a short cross between a hum and moan “Damn Antonio, you’re really good at that.” His shoulders felt so much better, it was a wonder he was used to them before. “I should get back to the papers.” He muttered.

Antonio chuckled. “Oh really?” He hummed. “What kind of goals are those?” He asked. He paused and nodded. “Mm I pride myself in being able to get the knots out of anyone” He chuckled. “Ah right. But when you are done I’m getting the rest because I am sure there are more in your back too” he shrugged and kissed Arthur’s cheek before sitting across from him again. He had nothing else to do so he may as well sit in here with the Brit to keep him company.

Arthur let out a short laugh “Aye, alright. Goals to be the most feared pirate, to at least control the Atlantic, that sort of thing.” He waved his hand dismissively before rolling his shoulders lightly as he sat up to continue the paperwork. He did take another hour to finish all of it and he pushed it away and stood, rigorously flexing his hand to ease the cramp “All done, and now I’m tired.” He snorted “Thanks for the company.” He added as an afterthought as he stretched and started to make his way out the office and to his cabin “You’re sleeping in my cabin, too.” He called out, just to make sure Antonio didn’t think otherwise.

Antonio nodded. “Ah the usual” he shrugged. He hummed and was careful not to distract Arthur too much, mostly keeping himself entertained while he worked. He chuckled and nodded. “Of course” he said in response to both the thanks and the sleeping arrangements then shrugged. He followed after Arthur and stretched out again before climbing onto Arthur’s bed. He waited for Arthur to get in the bed before curling into him and nuzzling against him, closing his eyes. He smiled, comfortable this way.

Arthur threw off his coat and pants, before climbing into bed. He got comfortable before the Spaniard shifted into him and he accommodated by wrapping his arm around the brunet as he got more comfortable. He slept in a bit the next morning and got up with a slow stretch “Rise and shine, we need to keep a close eye on the course since we’ll be arriving within today or tomorrow, correct?” 

Antonio slept well that night, better than the previous ones. His sleep had been increasingly better since he and Arthur had started to get along better, but sleeping with Arthur, curled into him made it all even better. He yawned when Arthur woke up up, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. He nodded. “Mhmm Either later today or early morning tomorrow depending on the weather” He responded. He rolled over and set his feet on the ground. He still didn’t bother getting dressed, fine in just his undergarments, at least until they got to the raid.

Arthur nodded “Sounds great. Alright time for breakfast, come on.” He stood and dressed himself properly, of course ready for the raid at any moment just in case they arrived somehow way before schedule. Once dressed he waited for the Spaniard before leading the way to the kitchen to get breakfast before going about the daily routine while also preparing his men for the raid.

Antonio nodded. He followed Arthur to the kitchen. He plopped down after telling the chef what he wanted and he smiled towards Arthur. He rested his chin on his hands and hummed softly. “I’ll get dressed after breakfast. Until the raid, do we need to prepare anything else?” he asked. “Or should we just prepare ourselves?” he asked with a hum in his tone.

Arthur tilted his head a bit “We just need to prepare ourselves and run through the plan with the men, make sure everyone understands what is to be done. Unless I've forgotten anything?” He was more than certain he hadn't forgotten any details, but one never knew. He couldn't be perfect all the time after all.

Antonio nodded. “Sounds good.” he shrugged. He thanked the chef when he got his breakfast, eating that rather quickly then stretching out a bit. He smiled and swayed, watching Arthur. He’d wait for the Brit to be done, then go get dressed and they could continue preparing from there.

Arthur shrugged in response, supposing Antonio took it rhetorically and nodded in acknowledgement when his breakfast was placed before him and didn't feel like rushing through it like the Spaniard. He pushed his plate away and stood before moving past the brunet to lead the way onto the deck, absentmindedly offering a gesture of affection as he went by.

Antonio hummed and smiled at Arthur, following after him. He kissed Arthur’s cheek as he walked into the cabin to get dressed. He pulled on his clothes and tied his sash around his waist before heading back out and stretching. “Oh wait! I know of one thing that we may have forgotten, Arturo. You said I could use my sword” he batted his eyes at the Brit.

Arthur stopped as the other suddenly made the exclamation and was slightly worried until he processed the whole statement at which point he made a cross between an annoyed sound and an exaggerated sound. “Next time don’t make it sound like it was dire. Yes you can have your sword. Might as well get it now then, come on.” He tossed out before turning to head to the store room. A little closet where he put the non monetary items, but still important enough to be locked up. He patted his pockets quickly to procure the key and unlocked the door before gesturing for the Spaniard to grab his sword “There you go.”

Antonio gasped in mock offense. “Excuse me? My ability to use my sword is dire” he stuck his tongue out before following after him with a bounce in his step. He was very excited to get to participate in this raid. He hummed happily and grabbed his sword, tying the sheath around his waist again and pulling it out to hold it in his hand. He smirked happily and put it back before turning to Arthur and nodding. “Now we are fully ready”

Arthur snorted lightly “Right. Let’s get everything else completed before saying that. And get a more accurate estimate on time.” He closed and locked the door before turning back to gather his men on deck, fully expecting Antonio to check their position and distance from their destination.

Antonio chuckled and nodded. “Alright. I am pretty sure everything is done though” He shrugged. He went up to the upper deck and checked the wheel before asking a crew member to climb the crows nest so they could know for sure when they’d hit the island. He waited for a moment, nodding at the information he was told before heading back to Arthur. “The island is in sight. I told one of your men to stay in the Crow’s nest until we are closer so that we will know for sure when we will hit land”

Arthur gave his men a little ‘pep’ talk and made sure they understood the plan just like every other time. He turned to face the brunet when he was being spoken too “Oh it’s in sight? Good.” He shrugged lightly “The reason I win so often is my meticulous planning and drive to be on top of everything right until the moment I win.” He smirked lightly before looking around for any last minute preparations.

Antonio nodded and hummed. He stayed close to Arthur and nodded again. When the man called out that they were nearing their stop Antonio paused and pulled Arthur to the side. “One more little preparation I have to make” He whispered before kissing Arthur deeply on the lips, wrapping his arms around the captain and pulling himself closer before pulling away. “Your good luck kiss” he whispered with a smirk.

Arthur looked up when their destination was called out before absently making a questioning noise at the Spaniard which quickly turned to one of appreciation. He took advantage of the moment before the brunette pulled away. “Hmm does it work the other way around as well?” He gave a short laugh before turning to signal for his men to get ready for the moment the ship touches its target.

Antonio chuckled and shrugged. “Only if you want it to” He whispered. He kept close to Arthur until the ship had docked. In fact even a bit after. Normally he would let the crew run off and rampage on their own. He wasn’t entirely sure how Arthur’s way would work out or if he wanted Antonio to do anything in particular. But as soon as his feet touched the sand his sword was out and he breathed in the air. He was incredibly excited.

Arthur kept his crew coordinated for the first few moments after stepping off the boat before sending them off in groups to raid and loot. He gestured for Antonio to stay near him as he went in. He had only made sure about prepping his ship since this target area had more than just a couple law enforcers. Once his men left to their areas he made his way deeper into the little town, going straight for the richest looking building and the most guards. Of course he had other men stay behind near the ship, just in case.

Antonio was practically bouncing with excitement as he followed after Arthur. He forced himself to relax when they got closer though, knowing that if he wasn’t careful he’d get them caught and no way in hell was he getting blamed for that. He wasn’t honestly shocked that Arthur went for the more expensive and therefore dangerous looking buildings. He would have done the same.

~~After the Raid High~~

Arthur looked around his ship, surveying the celebration going on. The vicious victorious feeling crawling its way up to fill his chest gave him a sudden realization and he swung around to find the person in mind and his grin sharpened dramatically. He ignored the slight nagging feeling that this wouldn’t end very well despite planning it for weeks. He called out for the Spaniard as he moved towards him, and once he got close to him he stopped and leaned close “Antonio, I wanted to let you know, I don’t love you.”

Antonio was still on high air. He was more than pleased with how the raid went, sheathing his sword and gloating to some of the other crew members about their success. He turned when Arthur moved towards him, humming and tilting his head. He only chuckled at first before bursting into a real laughter. “What a funny joke, Arturo! I mean it’s not exactly the best time for jokes like that. We should probably start sorting through the things we got, don’t ya think?” he kissed Arthur’s cheek and hummed happily.

Arthur’s brows rose a bit in light incredulity and he twisted his grin into a sneer. He mentally shook off the slight guilt that tried to creep up on him, the need to win much greater. He shook his head slowly “I am not joking Anthony.” His eyes hardened as he said the other’s name “I do not love you. The joke pretending” His voice hardened with each word until there was no mistaking the cold cruelty.

Antonio paused and shifted a bit. He blinked and shook his head. “Wait...What? You...haha...this isn’t funny Arthur. Come on...You…” he reached up to cover his mouth. “Wait...this...all...all of this was some joke? You were nice to me, you let me live, you...you let me get better and work again...as some joke?!” He felt the twinging at his heart. It ached. It hurt more than any of the physical pain. He took a few steps back before slumping and finding himself on the ground. “you...I...I don’t understand” He choked out a sob, tears starting to stream down his cheeks.

The guilt made itself a bit more known this time around, but the sadistic glee won out. He scoffed “I said I wanted all of you, that I wanted to ruin every aspect of you. What better way than this? This makes finally killing you all the more worthwhile.” He unsheathed his sword and took a step closer towards the brunette, looking down his nose with an almost insane, cruel grin. Full of anticipation for the final act. “Tell me, how does it feel Anthony?”

Antonio looked up at Arthur, eyes full of wet tears dripping down his re-tanned cheeks. He looked at Arthur’s sword for a moment. Was this even worth fighting? What more did he have? His ship was gone, his world, his pride, his heart. What point was there in fighting against this. The name Anthony only rung in his ears as his head hung and he trembled. He clenched his hands into fists before relaxing again. “Honestly Arthur, It hurts. It hurts a lot. But it’s okay. I hope this makes you happy Arthur” He whispered.

Arthur tilted his head, refusing to let his grin be taken over from the frown that wanted to show. “Mmm yes, I would say I am, this was the final challenge I was able to win concerning you. I can do whatever I want with whoever I want and still come out on top. Thank you for the help. Now do you have anything else you’d like to say before I run my sword through you?”He raised a brow expectantly. Only reason he was prolonging it was because he had to actually build his resolve to go through with it.

Antonio looked up at him for a moment longer. He shifted in his position to be fully on his knees. He shifted a bit and looked down, putting his hands together in front of him. “I hope one day, I hope after all of your glory has passed and you’re looking back on your successes you only see this happiness. I hope you feel an ounce of guilt right now. But I hope that is gone when you look back on this. Arthur, I hope that my suffering for you was good enough. Because I love you and I will do anything for you. Even if it means I have to die” Antonio whispered, looking up at Arthur again. He reached up to his neck and pulled the small cross necklace off, ripping the chain and holding it in his hand. “I hope God forgives you”

Oh did that actually impact him. He did give into the frown and faltered for just a moment before shaking it off. He knew it would end up like this or something similar. He had prepared but it hadn’t seemed to be enough. He obviously wasn’t going to let a bit of guilt grant the brunette mercy, especially not after all that he said the past few minutes. “I don’t really care if he does or not.” he stated dismissively, shrugging his shoulder before lifting his hand to give a small mocking wave “It’s been a pleasure using you, goodbye.” He tipped his head in acknowledgement while maintaining a large grin before lifting his sword lightly. He didn’t wait for Antonio to say anything, not wanting to hesitate further before thrusting his arm forward, wrist bent down to run his sword through the brunettes stomach.

Antonio watched him lift up his sword. A few more silent tears dripped off his cheeks and his slid his eyes shut. He should have known that Arthur wouldn’t let it come easy. Arthur picked a place where he would die slowly and suffer. He could feel every second of waiting before Arthur’s thrust the sword in and removed it. At first all Antonio felt was shock, then came the pain. It flooded over his body, taking over his senses and thoughts. The deep scent of blood filled his nostrils and he felt sick from the thoughts starting to run through his mind in his last moments. 

Hopefully it would end quickly, though he knew it could easily take hours to die this way, it could also just as easily take minutes. He felt the blood start to bubble up in his throat and he gasped, letting the blood out through violent coughs. He collapsed forward, trembling and reaching down to weakly grab the wound. Por favor estoy pidiendo. Lévame rápido, perdona mis pecados. Antonio silently started to pray. Pray for this to end quickly. His tears mixed with the blood running down his chin, even filling his nose as the crimson liquid bubbled up in his mouth. He coughed out a few more times, sobs escaping his chest as he slowly slid to the deck, trying to close his eyes, continuing to hold his wound. He didn’t bother looking at his hand, knowing it would be too bloody. 

His prayers finally seemed to be answered as the blood loss and exhaustion and pain in his chest started to take over his consciousness. His eyes slid shut slowly, agonizingly slowly. In his last moment, the adrenaline made him want to beg. Please Arthur I want to wake up. Let these be another nightmare. This pain is too real. Please let me wake up. 

Antonio’s last breath was a gentle sob.


End file.
